Petunia plant named ‘Conglow’

ABSTRACT

A new and distinct cultivar of Petunia plant named ‘Conglow’, characterized by its outwardly spreading and uniform plant habit; freely branching habit; small rounded leaves; numerous small single flowers that are red purple in color; and good garden performance.

BOTANICAL CLASSIFICATION/CULTIVAR DESIGNATION

Petunia×hybrida cultivar Conglow.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present Invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Petuniaplant, botanically known as Petunia×hybrida, and hereinafter referred toby the cultivar name Conglow.

The new Petunia is a product of a planned breeding program conducted bythe Inventor in Shiga Prefecture, Japan. The objective of the breedingprogram is to create new Petunias with numerous small flowers withattractive flower colors.

The new Petunia originated from a cross made by the Inventor on Dec. 25,1998 of the Petunia cultivar Fantasy Red, not patented, as the female,or seed parent, with an unidentified selection of Petunia, not patented,as the male, or pollen parent. The new Petunia was selected as a singleplant from the resulting progeny by the Inventor on Sep. 25, 1999, inShiga Prefecture, Japan, on the basis of its small and numerous redpurple-colored flowers.

Asexual reproduction of the new cultivar by terminal vegetative cuttingstaken in Gensingen, Germany has shown that the unique features of thisnew Petunia are stable and reproduced true to type in successivegenerations.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Plants of the cultivar Conglow have not been observed under all possibleenvironmental conditions. The phenotype may vary somewhat withvariations in environment such as temperature, light intensity anddaylength without, however, any variance in genotype.

The following traits have been repeatedly observed and are determined tobe the unique characteristics of ‘Conglow’. These characteristics incombination distinguish ‘Conglow’ as a new and distinct cultivar:

1. Outwardly spreading and uniform plant habit.

2. Freely branching habit.

3. Small rounded leaves.

4. Numerous small single flowers that are red purple in color.

5. Good garden performance.

Plants of the new Petunia differ from plants of the female parent, thecultivar Fantasy Red, in the following characteristics:

1. Plants of the new Petunia are more outwardly spreading and not asupright as plants of the female parent.

2. Plants of the new Petunia are more vigorous than plants of the femaleparent.

3. Plants of the new Petunia have better garden performance than plantsof the female parent.

Plants of the new Petunia differ from plants of the male parent, theunidentified Petunia selection, in the following characteristics:

1. Plants of the new Petunia are more vigorous than plants of the maleparent.

2. Plants of the new Petunia have larger flowers than plants of the maleparent.

3. Plants of the new Petunia flower for a longer period of time thanplants of the male parent.

Plants of the new Petunia are similar in flower color to the cultivarRevolution, not patented; however in side-by-side comparisons conductedin Gensingen, Germany, plants of the new Petunia had smaller flowersthan plants of the cultivar Revolution.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE PHOTOGRAPHS

The accompanying colored photographs illustrate the overall appearanceof the new cultivar, showing the colors as true as it is reasonablypossible to obtain in colored reproductions of this type. Colors in thephotographs may differ slightly from the color values cited in thedetailed botanical description which accurately describe the colors ofthe new Petunia.

The photograph at the top of the sheet comprises a side perspective viewof three typical flowering plants of ‘Conglow’ grown in a 20-cmcontainer.

The photograph at the bottom of the sheet comprises a close-up view of atypical flower bud, typical opening flowers, upper and lower surfaces oftypical fully opened flowers, and lower and upper surfaces of typicalfully expanded leaves of ‘Conglow’.

DETAILED BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION

The aforementioned photographs and following observations andmeasurements describe plants grown in Bonsall, Calif., in an outdoornursery during the late spring and early summer under full sunconditions with day temperatures ranging from 18 to about 35° C. andnight temperatures ranging from 4 to 18° C. After planting rootedcuttings, plants were grown for about nine weeks in 20-cm containerswith three plants per container. Color references are made to The RoyalHorticultural Society Colour Chart, 1995 edition, except where generalterms of ordinary dictionary significance are used.

Botanical classification: Petunia×hybrida cultivar Conglow.

Parentage:

Female parent.—Petunia×hybrida cultivar Fantasy Red, not patented.

Male parent.—Unidentified Petunia×hybrida selection, not patented.

Propagation:

Type cutting.—Terminal vegetative cuttings.

Time to initiate roots, summer and winter.—About 15 days at 20 to 22° C.

Time to develop roots, summer and winter.—About 20 days at 18 to 22° C.

Root description.—Fine; white, close to 155D, in color.

Rooting habit.—Freely branching.

Plant description:

Form.—Annual flowering plant; indeterminate; initially upright, thenoutwardly spreading and trailing; uniform. Freely branching habit withabout eight lateral branches per plant.

Usage.—Appropriate for hanging baskets, window boxes, patio containersand landscape applications.

Plant height.—About 20 cm.

Plant diameter.—Individual plant: About 26 cm. All three plants: About54 cm.

Vigor.—Vigorous.

Lateral branches.—Length: About 25 cm. Diameter: About 2 mm. Internodelength: About 1.5 to 1.8 cm. Texture: Pubescent. Color: 144A.

Foliage description.—Arrangement: Alternate before flowering; oppositeafter flowers develop; simple. Quantity per lateral branch: About 22.Length: About 3.7 cm. Width: About 2.3 cm. Shape: Elliptic, rounded.Apex: Broadly acute. Base: Attenuate. Margin: Entire. Texture: Upper andlower surfaces, pubescent and glandular. Venation pattern: Pinnate,arcuate. Color: Developing leaves, upper surface: 146A. Developingleaves, lower surface: 146C. Fully expanded leaves, upper surface: 147B.Fully expanded leaves, lower surface: 147C. Venation, upper surface:146D. Venation, lower surface: 146C to 146D. Petiole length: About 1.1cm. Petiole diameter: About 2.5 mm. Petiole color: 146C.

Flower description:

Flower type and habit.—Single salverform flowers; flowers face mostlyupward or outward; axillary. Very freely flowering habit, about fiveflowers and flower buds per lateral branch at one time. Naturalflowering season: Long day responsive; long flowering period, springuntil frost in the autumn; flowering continuous during this period.Plants start flowering about three weeks after planting rooted cuttings.Flowers persistent.

Flower longevity on the plant.—About three to four days.

Fragrance.—Very faint, spicy and sweet.

Flower size.—Diameter: About 4.1 cm. Tube length: About 2.6 cm. Throatdiameter, distal end: About 8 mm. Tube diameter, proximal end: About 3mm.

Flower buds (showing color).—Length: About 2 cm. Diameter: At apex,about 8 mm; at base, about 5 mm. Shape: Elongated oblong with ruffledapices. Color: Towards apex, 79C; towards base, 79D.

Corolla.—Quantity/arrangement: Five fused petals in a single whorl,funnelform. Petal length from throat: About 2 cm. Petal width: About 1.9cm. Petal shape: Roughly spatulate or fan-shaped. Petal apex: Broadlyacute. Petal margin: Entire. Petal texture: Smooth, velvety. Color:Petal, upper surface, when opening: Darker than 74A. Petal, lowersurface, when opening: 77A to 77B. Petal, upper surface, fully opened:74A; color does not fade with subsequent development. Petal, lowersurface, fully opened: 78B. Flower throat (inside): 76A. Flower tube(outside): 78B to 78C. Venation, upper petal surface: Darker than 74A.Venation, lower petal surface: 77A. Venation, throat: 86A. Venation,tube: 143C.

Sepals.—Arrangement/appearance: Single whorl of five sepals fused atbase, star-shaped. Length: About 1 cm. Width: About 2 mm. Shape:Strap-like; elongate. Apex: Rounded. Margin: Entire. Texture, bothsurfaces: Pubescent, glandular. Color: Upper surface: 147A. Lowersurface: 147C.

Peduncles.—Length: About 2.75 cm. Width: About 1 mm. Angle: About 45°from the stem. Strength: Moderately strong. Texture: Pubescent. Color:144A.

Reproductive organs.—Stamens: Quantity per flower: About five. Anthershape: Ovoid. Anther size: About 2 mm by 2 mm. Anther color: 94D. Pollenamount: Scarce. Pollen color: 95D. Pistils: Quantity per flower: One.Pistil length: About 2 cm. Style length: About 1.7 cm. Style color:144D. Stigma shape: Bi-lobed. Stigma color: 144B. Ovary color: 144B.

Seed/fruit.—Seed and/or fruit production has not been observed to date.

Disease/pest resistance: Plants of the new Petunia have not been notedto be resistant to pathogens or pests common to Petunia.

Garden performance: Plants of the new Petunia have been observed to havegood garden performance. Plants of the new Petunia have been noted totolerate temperatures from 0 to 35° C. and have excellent tolerance torain and wind.

It is claimed:
 1. A new and distinct cultivar of Petunia plant named‘Conglow’, as